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Government

Ironically-Named ‘Smart Meters’ Prove to Be a Dumb Idea

Mar. 26, 2011 7:37pm Mike Opelka

Headaches, insomnia, tinnitus, DNA breakdown. . . These are just a few of the myriad problems mentioned when people talk about the constant bombardment of EMFs or electromagnetic frequencies, a huge by-product of the new Smart Meters being installed by public utilities around the country.

But wait! We have been told that the Smart Grid, with it’s Smart Meters would be a good thing for all of us. Now we find out that this scheme poses very real dangers to human health?

Information on the effect of installing millions of Smart Meters, all equipped with wireless transmitters that are constantly filling the environment with EMFs, is just starting to trickle in. An electrical engineer named Rob States has been looking into this problem:

“Since individuals with no history of RF disease are experiencing symptoms the first day the meter is installed, we can assume the meter’s RF emissions are not the only problem. The RF network is activated months after initial meter installation. Extensive measurements have demonstrated that all of the meters measured so far, including ABB, GE, and Landis Gyr, emit noise on the customer’s electric wiring in the form of high frequency voltage spikes, typically with an amplitude of 2 volts, but a frequency any ware from 4,000 Hertz, up to 60,000 Hz. The actual frequency of the phenomena is influenced by the devices that are plugged into the customer’s power. Some houses are much worse than others, and this observation has been confirmed by PG&E installers that have talked to us.”

Rob’s comments come from an online article posted by Stop Smart Meters.

Thanks to the work of people like Stop Smart Meters, communities are waking up to the problem. Especially in California.

Generally speaking, people in California seem to accept new government programs with open arms, especially anything with the words ‘green’ or ‘smart’ attached to it. So Smart Meters seemed to be a no-brainer as they promised to make the planet greener and who doesn’t want a smart electrical meter?

You should know that the so-called Smart Meters are the typical energy monitoring devices with a little extra bonus added. It is a wireless transmitter (think cell phone) that is constantly sending the power company updates on your electrical use. The meters are now bombarding the environment with EMFs, all day, every day. That electronic carpet-bombing of your home, apartment complex, subdivision is being blamed for health problems in people who are ‘electrically hypersensitive.’ (a real term)

The argument that Smart Meters will lower energy consumption has also been debunked. Reuters published a piece showing no real long-term savings in homes with Smart Meters vs the old meters.

“Participants who kept the monitor (…) did not manage to sustain their electricity savings any better than those without a monitor.”

“A second finding is that certain groups of people seem more receptive to energy-saving interventions than others. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach for home energy monitors cannot be justified.”

No real savings, potential health problems. . . so why the rush to install these so called Smart Meters in 200 million homes?

Some skeptics claim the new meters will allow government access to more information and control over individuals. From our new friends at StopSmartMeters.org:

Do you value civil liberties and the right to privacy? When a ‘smart’ meter is installed, your utility has access to a treasure trove of information about you- when you wake up in the morning, when you go on vacation, what kinds of appliances you are using, etc. They will be able to sell this information to a series of corporations and the government.

YES, the words ‘Big Brother’ definitely come to mind here.

Oddly enough, California may be leading the charge against Smart Meters. There are almost 30 local governments formally opposing the installation of the Smart Meters. Two weeks ago the tide started turning:

The anti-Smart Meter people actually scored a victory of sorts against this governmental invasion as news broke yesterday that PG&E offered an ‘opt-out’ program, but it is going to cost you. Early estimates say that choosing the old meter will cost an additional $14-$20 per month, plus a ‘set-up’ fee.

Let’s review what we know about Smart Meters:

European studies have shown no significant energy savings.

Great potential exists for serious and wide-spread health problems caused by constant bombardment of EMFs.

Loss of personal freedom to consume energy as you see fit is inherent in this kind of metering.

Government now has access to even more information about how you live, with the potential to interfere in your life via control of power.

And, if you choose NOT to have a Smart Meter, you will pay a ‘tax’ for the right to retain your privacy and freedom of choice.

Any questions?

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (354)

mikenleeds
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:45pm
wow , the liberals nuts are out in force ,,, i have researched it and it does give off a signal the same as your cell phone does that you have pressed against your head 10 hours a day so people get a grip , if you want to help you can start by getting rid of your cell phones and park your cars and walk everywhere

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prophecyisfact
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:38pm
Yea, now they can shut down your electric, you’re tv, (now digital), you’re cell phone
and you’re car. What if they did it at the same time???

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Gordo
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:30pm
Aw geeze. Amateur Radio operators finally defeat the local BPL plan and now we get this. Another dang noise maker. . . . – . – Yep, it’s time to start moving to off the grid technology.

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Hickory
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:26pm
This is just one of the types of smart meters. The other one uses the power line (PLC) to communicate back to the utility. It also measures your uses of electricity for various appliances. Some of the new appliances can be controlled via PLC from the utility. They can also monitor the use of your cordless phones or even the TV channel you are watching. If your cell phone is on the charger, they can turn on the camera.

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- Grandmadar
  Posted on March 27, 2011 at 12:48am
  My cell phone is on the charger as I write. So this means they can turn my camera on? Really? Well, it sits on the table so all they can see is the table. It won’t be long and Big Brother will be able to see all we do from our TV’s. Guess we won’t want one in every room as some do!
  
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Flannery
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:25pm
From the same people who brought us low water flush toilets. They cost more, don’t work as well and ultimately use more water because of the need for repeated flushes. This is why plumbers and not bureaucrats need to design toilets. Now we have the BUREAUCRATS’ electric meter. Bahhhh!

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Showtime
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:22pm
I read an article about it in Financial Times.

Do a search for “IBM and C&W” and and you will get the FT link. A screen will come up. You can subscribe for free. The article will appear.

It was not my material or readily available to the public, or I would have copied and pasted in the comment above instead of giving the info about the two companies.

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Psychic_Warrior
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:13pm
Another example of what the don’t think, feel philosophy gets us.

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random357
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:12pm
By the way EMF stands for electro motive force.

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Stoic one
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:07pm
ON the benign side:
I had the power co. come out for a problem that was quickly solved. My neighborhood will has smart meters sometime in 2012. The Tech and I talk for a while. One thing the utility company plans on a VOLUNTARY basis is to inform you how much juice each and every appliance in you house uses……. and what the anticipated usage would be. So I have four window AC units, the power co. will inform me if one is using “too” much. maybe it has gone bad, maybe the filter needs cleaning, maybe it is about to short out and start a fire…….

Units that clean ‘dirty power’ should pretty much take care of these benign uses; for other than Meter Reading.
I am remodeling the bedrooms; retrofitting Faraday cages should not be difficult.

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Katayno
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:06pm
Reading the posts… there are impressive pros and cons. Whether it is safe or not…I believe the poster who worked for the nefarious Electric Co. for 33 years. Somehow this is advancing Obama and GE’s green agenda. Only time will tell. I

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jdw2469
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 10:02pm
OPT-OUT???? Everyone in my area had them replaced during working hours and a little note was left on our doors! We had no say, no idea they were getting replaced, and no choice to opt-out! So sick of big gub’ment!!!

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chickenfried
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:58pm
Let’s discuss another kind of smart meter…

Like the one we tip the scales on because we listen to Glenn…our smarts cannot even be measured by conventional means.

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Katayno
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:53pm
Thank you Mr. Obama….for creating jobs…to install smart meters we don’t want or need.
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Chicago Ray
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:47pm
Ya know, I have one of these on my home here in Chicago burbs and frankly it saves me money as opposed to the other ones although I don’t like the fact that down the road these things can be used in many nefarious ways which this government has shown a propensity to do whenever given more power over us and our homes.

this works on market price electric here and so you can use it when it’s cheapest during the day and it’s helped here. I have wireless comp crap all over the house, I don’t have issues with it going on 4 years.

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mmc
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:36pm
Installed with no consent from us- we did not approve the installation they just came by and put it in

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NoThanks_JustLurking
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:36pm
This should stimulate some conversation… A listing of all the utilities receiving SmartGrid government funding and how much….

http://earth2tech.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/sgigselections_category1.pdf

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RussSwMoGracer
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:34pm
This is very fair conclusion you make, Mr Funk. I happen to be an Installer of these related devices I personally know exactly why this so called “Smart Meter” we know as AMR meters, meaning (Automatic Meter Reading) are employed. I can assure you it is not to satisfy the leftists pressure for the “Green” Cause. It is very simply used to save money for the serviced customer. How? Reason#1. By not having to send a Meter reader to every city and rural home and business to get the actual reading of the meter for the billing records. REASON #2 Because it reports in when polled during power outages. It gives the Power service the correct data to report exactly which branch of power is affected so it can be determined without customer having to report in by phone just how and where service needs to be restored first, that which would affect the most people, then second and so on.This in turn speeds up restoration time dramatically. REASON #3 It allows immediate termination of power to delinquent users which saves all customers the charges to physically Disconnect the service and then reconnect the service after the Delinquency is resolved.
You can get this savings info from you local Power service, just ask them.
Do You Remember Dec 31 1999 @ 12:00 Mid-Night? The Y2k Syndrome. The world computers crashing? (Well it didn’t happen). The fear that some Christians have today is that these type devices are a sign of the Bible end times and that the Anti Christ is going to make them take the mark of the Beast 666. And that our Government today is starting to bring this to pass on them.. Well I’ve got GOOD NEWS for you REAL Christians out there. YOU WILL NOT BE HERE when The end times happens or when 666 comes to pass. Read you Bible Rightly Divided. You Are Not Appointed unto Wrath> because Our Apostle Paul personally wrote to us in First letter to the Thessalonians Chapter 5 and verses following: ” 4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not
of the night, nor of darkness.
6. Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of
faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with him.
11. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as
also ye do.
AMEN

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Pyx
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:28pm
Yet more encroachment on Freedom by the LEFT.

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maryslittlelamb
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:27pm
On the other hand, maybe I’m being hyper-sensitive to privacy intrusion, especially from govt entities. If the info is sold only to entities who want to sell me something I don’t have a problem with that (I throw ads away all the time) then it becomes an income stream for the electric company who can then (we hope) keep my rates lower.

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Captain Crunch
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:25pm
RF and EMF kills. I personally know amateur radio operators who have died from the effects of it, mostly cancer. Wouldn’t take much to build a jammer to screw up their data transmissions.

The gas company has been trying for about 2 years now to get in my house and install one of those remote meters which they can read from the street. I don’t know if the gas meters are the same thing as the electric smart meters or not. Whats important though is the idea that some authority has the power and ability to monitor, without your knowledge, any changes in the behaviours of the utility subscriber in the home. Any change in energy consumption could flag you for a friendly visit, inquiry, inspection, introspection, interrogation, arrest, and/or internment. I don’t trust them obvously. So there you sit in your easy chair a few years down the road with a tremendus case of brain cancer when they bust in the door to see if you are politically correct or not. Oh not to worry though. We have ObamaCare.

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- absolutely
  Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:52pm
  Soooooo, Crunch what your saying is that cell phones will give you a brain tumor. Absolutely
  
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Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:23pm
Notice the Communist do not dispute the facts,They just insult.Must be taught by the Union.

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needanotherReagan
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:21pm
Does Al Gore have a smart meter on his mansion?

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maryslittlelamb
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:19pm
@Mike

Oh, I’m against them alright, just not on the basis of health reasons. Another poster mentioned our info being sold (potentially) and that set me to fuming! It’s nobody’s business how much energy I use or when or where. If the company has it to sell I will buy what I want or need or can afford and there is the end of that transaction. It’s nobody else’s d@&n business.

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Captain Crunch
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:07pm
Add your comments

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Salamander
Posted on March 26, 2011 at 9:00pm
Someone should reveal how many of these complainers did so from their booth at the tanning parlor!

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